Candidate Gene Identification for a Lethal Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutant in Soybean

• Main Authors: Sam Reed, Taylor Atkinson, Carly Gorecki, Katherine Espinosa, Sarah Przybylski, Alcira Susana Goggi, Reid G. Palmer, Devinder Sandhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2014-10-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: lethal-yellow; chlorophyll-deficient; genetic map; soybean
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/4/4/462

Chlorophyll-deficient mutants have been studied persistently to understand genetic mechanisms controlling metabolic pathways. A spontaneous chlorophyll-deficient lethal mutant was observed in self-pollinated progeny of a soybean cultivar “BSR 101”. Observed segregation patterns indicated single-gene recessive inheritance for this lethal-yellow mutant. The objectives of this investigation were to develop a genetic linkage map of the region containing the lethal-yellow (YL_PR350) gene and identify putative candidate genes for this locus. The YL_PR350 gene was mapped to chromosome 15 and is flanked by BARCSOYSSR_15_1591 and BARCSOYSSR_15_1597. This region physically spans ~153 kb and there are 14 predicted genes that lie in this region. The predicted gene Glyma.15g275900 is an excellent candidate for the YL_PR350 gene as it is homologous to an Arabidopsis gene, At3g08010, which codes for a chloroplast-localized protein (ATAB2) involved in the biogenesis of Photosystem I and II. This thylakoid membrane protein is crucial for photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Future characterization of the candidate gene may enhance our knowledge about photosynthesis, a complex metabolic process critical for sustainability of plants.